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Tuesday, June 06, 2017

On the Topic of Identity Politics by Dr. Nelson Flores

On the Topic of Identity Politics by Dr. Nelson Flores

White
people across the political spectrum have similar views on identity
politics in ways that reinforce white supremacy. It isn't surprising
that white conservatives, often explicitly espousing white supremacist
views, would have negative things to say about people of color bringing
attention to racial oppression. Yet, white liberals often describe
identity politics in similar terms to white conservatives, arguing that
they are divisive and distract from the ultimate goal of creating a
colorblind society. And not to let the white radicals off the hook, a
common critique of identity politics in these circles is that they
distract from efforts to unite the working class. All of these
perspectives are reinforced by some establishment people of color who
are primarily interested in changing the color of elites while ignoring
the need for broader structural change.
But identity politics
have been integral to social change in the United States through
challenging racial oppression produced by all sides of the political
spectrum. Identity politics unmasked the injustices of Jim Crow laws,
the xenophobia of English-Only policies and more recently the racism of
mass incarceration. Identity politics have also pointed to the ways that
colorblind discourse prominent in many liberal circles serves as a tool
for the continued maintenance of white supremacy. And identity politics
have also pointed to the ways that a purely social class analysis will
never get to the root of the inequities of US society, which has white
supremacy at the core of its institutions.
So identity politics
is not the problem. White supremacy is the problem. That said,
neoliberal identity politics that seeks inclusion within white
supremacist institutions is not the solution. Instead, we need a radical
transformation of our institutions in ways that dismantle the white
supremacy that lie at their core. Radical identity politics must play a
role in this transformation.

Dr. Nelson Flores is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He has a Ph.D. in Urban Education from the CUNY Graduate Center.
His research attempts to bridge theory and practice in ways that
transform educational programming for language minoritized students.